Americans United - Forever in God We Trusthttps://au.org/tags/forever-god-we-trust
enGohmert's Goof: Where Faith And Politics Shouldn't Interacthttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/gohmerts-goof-where-faith-and-politics-shouldnt-interact
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The country was not founded on Christian principles. The Constitution does not say this. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) recently appeared at a forum in Texas where he talked about how his personal faith interacts with politics.</p>
<p>Gohmert got off on the wrong track right away.</p>
<p>"This country," <a href="http://www.news-journal.com/health/content/news/stories/2009/08/31/08312009_Balancing_Act.html">he insisted</a>, "is founded on Christian principles by our founding fathers. It's the same principles that have taught all of us tolerance in the political process."</p>
<p>Well, no.</p>
<p>The country was not founded on Christian principles. The Constitution does not say this. It is in fact a secular document that guarantees religious freedom for all, Christians and non-Christians.</p>
<p>Further proof that the country was not founded to be officially Christian can be found in the sermons of theocratic ministers of the founding period. Many of them were furious that the new country's founding document slighted Christianity.</p>
<p>In 1793, a New York pastor named John M. Mason went on quite a tear during one sermon, calling the lack of religious references in the Constitution "an omission which no pretext whatever can palliate." Mason was sure an angry God would soon avenge the insult and "overturn from its foundations the fabric we have been rearing and crush us to atoms in the wreck."</p>
<p>It's 216 years later, and we're still here. No crushed atoms yet.</p>
<p>Gohmert went on to tell a group called Forever in God We Trust that he is not pursuing a Christian agenda in office. You could have fooled me. He has been one of the main players in an effort to fill the U.S. Capitol Building with "Christian nation" propaganda.</p>
<p>In late July, Gohmert introduced legislation to force <a href="http://blog.au.org/2009/08/06/louie-louie-rep-gohmert-you-need-to-drop-this-capitol-obsession/">religious material</a> into the Capitol's National Statuary Hall. In May he appeared on a Focus on the Family radio broadcast with James Dobson to spread misinformation about proposed "hate crimes" legislation.</p>
<p>When politicians like Gohmert start talking about how their faith guides them in public life, lots of people get nervous. Gohmert represents a district that includes people of many faith perspectives and those of no particular faith. Yet what religion does Gohmert choose to promote in Congress? So far it has been only conservative Christianity.</p>
<p>I'm not saying that the answer is for Gohmert to start promoting other religions. The answer is for him to stop promoting religion entirely and learn to appreciate that his job is not to act like a pastor but to legislate in a secular republic that has a secular Constitution.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/christian-nation">christian nation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/forever-god-we-trust">Forever in God We Trust</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/louie-gohmert">louie gohmert</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-politics">Religion and politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/texas">Texas</a></span></div></div>Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:17:23 +0000Rob Boston2013 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/gohmerts-goof-where-faith-and-politics-shouldnt-interact#comments